MechDB Misadventures, Part 20: SuperStarter

MechDB Misadventures, Part 20: SuperStarter

I've been intrigued by the possibility that Piranha Games will add the Supercharger as an optional item in MechWarrior Online. Currently, it is only available on the legendary Warhawk/Masakari variant, the WHK-K "Kasai", as fixed equipment on its center torso. Also, it works differently to its BattleTech tabletop counterpart, by merely providing a permanent top speed increase without affecting agility or acceleration, instead of being manually activated and causing direct engine damage in the event of a failed 2d6 roll, with an initial target number of 3 that increases by 2 for every successive turn until the device is deactivated, after which it decreases by 1 interval per turn. Finally, the MWO Supercharger does not cause damage to a 'Mech's engine while it is in use. If you want to find out more about how the tabletop equivalent works, click here.

Under tabletop rules, Superchargers always occupy one critical slot (which must be in the same location as a 'Mech's engine), either in the center torso (the only option for any 'Mech with a standard engine) or in the side torso (optional, but only if the 'Mech has a Light or Extralight (XL) engine). In addition, it, unlike Triple Strength Myomer (which MWO hasn't yet featured in its growing list of items), can be combined with Myomer Accelerator Signal Circuitry (which causes damage to a 'Mech's legs on a failed activation roll), and combining MASC with a Supercharger (with each device requiring its own activation roll) yields a much greater speed boost. So what would an Inner Sphere 'Mech with provision for a Supercharger be like?

To show you an example, let me give you this custom loadout for a Firestarter FS9-K:

Above: Here's the basis for our hypothetical Supercharger build - a Firestarter FS9-K - armed with six medium lasers. Its speed and low engine mass (14 tons for its 280-rated Inner Sphere XL engine, not counting that which is added through fitment of extra heat sinks) ensures that it can easily be made even faster with a Supercharger by replacing some of its equipment.

Using a 280-rated Inner Sphere XL engine (whose base mass is 14 tons) means that a Supercharger would weigh 1.5 tons after rounding up to the nearest half-ton, as per tabletop rules, and could theoretically be mounted on either the side or center torso locations. However, since all of its critical slots are already occupied, we'd have to replace the AMS and its ammo to do so, thus freeing up one critical slot for the Supercharger (and another one we may need later). Even so, it would certainly make an already fast light Firestarter 'Mech even faster still. Note that although 'Mech Superchargers always require only one critical slot, its mass can vary, being one-tenth of the engine's base mass rounded up to the nearest half-ton. This is less of a problem on a 'Mech whose engine requires less mass (but not necessarily space) when fitted.

What, then, should we do with the leftover critical slots? Suppose that, in addition to being compatible with a Supercharger, our Firestarter also had provision for eight jump jets instead of six. In that case, we'd remove the Target Acquisition Gear (TAG) and install two more jump jets to fill out both empty critical slots, thus yielding a jump distance equivalent to the Panther. If the Firestarter was instead capable of being fitted with MASC, we'd remove the extra heat sink on the engine and use the MASC (which would weigh two tons under tabletop and MWO rules) to fill the last two unused critical slots, allowing for an even greater speed increase (at the cost of a higher chance of component damage and reduced heat capacity) when both the MASC and the Supercharger are in use.

In short, the Supercharger as an optional item on Inner Sphere 'Mechs (and standard Clan 'Mechs) would be a great addition to the game, with its performance benefits nicely balanced with extra mass on heavier engines. However, for a MechDB implementation, it should be tweaked so that it cannot be fitted unless an engine of some sort has been fitted, and once that has been done, the MechLab will adjust the mass of the Supercharger accordingly depending on base engine mass (and even then, it must also occupy a critical slot in the same location as the engine, as stated above). It would be a shame to limit it to the Warhawk Kasai - there are many other 'Mechs that could benefit from it (at least in theory), and its implementation, if done right, would narrow the gap between MWO and BattleTech in terms of customizability.